The Black Book (1938)

"I suppose one really ought to read the best books," he says hopelessly. "One must cultivate one's garden like who was it said? But that damed Iliad, Gregory, honestly I can't get on with it."

I felt the same about this book, so I gave up on it around page 60.

I'm not sure what The Black Book exactly is. A novel? A memoir? Does it have a plot? A meaning?
It's certainly beautifully written, some passages possess a haunting lyricism incomparable to any other writers work. I read this book the way I usually read poetry. It's an emotional experience rather than a rational one.
Durrell is an acquired taste. His books are very time-consuming, but if you stick to them you can find very interesting thoughts in them. ( )

Not published in the UK for many years after published in France. The first from which the last was made, so far as LGD is concerned as a novelist.